Fact file

Applicants must have at least a second class UK honours degree (or international equivalent) and be working in health and social care.

Other requirements

Applicants without a first degree may be considered for the course based on clinical experience and previous study subject to approval. International students will be required to have occupational health clearance, supply a declaration of good character and health form certified by their current employer and undertake governance training in order to undertake insight/observational visits. Please note if vaccinations are required, these will be at the student’s own expense

Overview

This course will develop your analytical and critical thinking, improve your leadership and change management skills, and give you the knowledge to take on more challenging senior roles.

Read full overview

Our postgraduate masters course is designed to develop your analytical and critical thinking, improve your competencies to lead and manage change, and give you the skills and knowledge to progress your career into more challenging senior roles.

Postgraduate study is an essential investment in career progression and the pursuit of excellence in care delivery. Flexible and student-centred, the course has been carefully designed to meet the needs of those working in a range of roles and service environments. It is open to both experienced and newly registered health and social care practitioners.

One of the key benefits of the programme is its interprofessional nature, drawing applicants from a wide range of settings. This will lead to fascinating opportunities to learn from each others' experiences and perspectives, build networks and enhance future interdisciplinary working, training and supervision.

For those not wishing to complete the full masters, you can choose to leave the award with either a postgraduate certificate or diploma, depending on the modules accrued.

During the course, you can choose to follow a specific pathway, tailoring the course to suit your own interests or practice. Go to the 'Course details' tab for pathway details.

We hope you will join us during this challenging and fulfilling stage of your career and we look forward to working with you to achieve your highest goals.

Key facts

Rated 4th in the UK for physiotherapy in the Complete University Guide 2015 and 7th for nursing and midwifery in the Guardian University Guide League Tables 2015

We are a leading environment for world class research according to the Research Excellence Framework 2014; 86% of our research activity is rated as world leading and internationally excellent with significant impact on people's health and wellbeing. We have also seen a 35% improvement in the quality of research undertaken in the past five years

Ranked 5th best in terms of research power in our unit of assessment, a measure which includes the quality of research and number of research active staff according to the Research Excellence Framework 2014

98% of students from nursing, midwifery and physiotherapy who participated in the 2013 Postgraduate Research Experience Survey were satisfied with the experience of their research degree programme

Our teaching team includes a number of Senior Fellows and Fellows of the Higher Education Academy

We have a community of over 3,000 students and around 280 academic and support staff

Course details

The MSc Health and Social Care allows you to follow a general pathway or choose from a menu of specialist routes. For those looking for flexibility from their studies, you can exit the course after earning 60 credits (PGCert) or 120 credits (PGDip).

The specialist pathways are:

Critical and High Dependency Care of Neonates, Infants and Children

Palliative and End of Life Care

Psychological Therapies for Psychosis

For a list of modules for each of the pathways select the 'Modules' tab.

Modules

MSc (180 credits)

In order to graduate with an MSc, you must pass the taught stage of the programme with a weighted course average of at least 50% and then complete a 60 credit dissertation.

Generic Pathway

Evidence for Health and Social Care (30 credits)

3 x Optional modules (90 credits)

Dissertation (60 credits)

Optional modules – these are modules that be accessed from anywhere within The University of Nottingham's module catalogue. In particular, there are many clinical modules available as well as modules in Leadership and Management, Practice Teaching and Mentorship, and Work-Based Learning. You will find those more specific to health and social care within the School's own catalogue of modules.

The modules we offer are inspired by the research interests of our staff and as a result may change for reasons of, for example, research developments or legislation changes. This list is an example of typical modules we offer, not a definitive list.

Funding

Home/EU students

Funded places are available to health and social care professionals working in the East Midlands (under certain conditions). These places are funded through Health Education East Midlands contract with The University of Nottingham. The only exception to this is the dissertation which may require self-funding or funding from another source. Once you have approval from your manager to apply for the course, complete the online application.

You can find out more detailed information about course fees, scholarships and funding on the School website.

If you have a question about funding please call +44 (0)115 823 1213.

The Graduate School website at The University of Nottingham provides more information on internal and external sources of postgraduate funding.

International and EU students

The University of Nottingham offers a range of masters scholarships for international and EU students from a wide variety of countries and areas of study.

Applicants must receive an offer of study before applying for our scholarships. Applications for 2017 entry scholarships will open in late 2016. Please note the closing dates of any scholarships you are interested in and make sure you submit your masters course application in good time so that you have the opportunity to apply for them.

The International Office also provides information and advice for international and EU students on financing your degree, living costs, external sources of funding and working during your studies.

Careers

Healthcare professionals who undertake the MSc Health and Social Care will usually be working within the National Health Service (NHS) Career Framework. Therefore, the programme learning outcomes have been mapped against Levels 3 and 4 of the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF). This will allow students employed by the NHS to identify learning to support their career progression.

Average starting salary and career progression

In 2015, 93% of postgraduates from nursing, midwifery and physiotherapy taught courses and research courses who were available for employment had secured work or further study within six months of graduation.*

* Known destinations of full-time home and EU postgraduates, 2014/15.

Recent graduates have gone on to work for NHS trusts (eg. clinical specialists, advanced practitioners, modern matrons), universities (eg. lecturers and senior academics, lecturer practitioners, researchers) and in private practice.

Career prospects and employability

The University of Nottingham is consistently named as one of the most targeted universities by Britain’s leading graduate employers* and can offer you a head-start when it comes to your career.

Those who take up a postgraduate research opportunity with us will not only receive support in terms of close contact with supervisors and specific training related to your area of research, you will also benefit from dedicated careers advice from our Careers and Employability Service.

Our Careers and Employability Service offers a range of services including advice sessions, employer events, recruitment fairs and skills workshops – and once you have graduated, you will have access to the service for life.